The Office of the Solicitor General on Tuesday asked the Department of Justice to uphold its authority as the legal representative of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the preliminary investigation into the sedition complaint filed by Vice President Leni Robredo and other opposition personalities.
In an omnibus comment, Solicitor General Jose Calida sought the dismissal of the petitions filed by Otso Diretso senatorial bets Lorenzo Erin Tañada III, Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno and Gary Alejano as well as that of detained Senator Leila de Lima questioning the OSG for taking part in the preliminary investigation of the case.
The petitioners said the OSG could only participate in criminal cases before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, but not in the DOJ.
Earlier, former Senator Rene Saguisag and Free Legal Assistance Group lawyer Arno Sanidad questioned why the OSG was representing the PNP-CIDG in the preliminary investigation of the case.
Saguisag, who is counsel for Senator Risa Hontiveros in the case, even assailed the OSG for acting as Malacañang’s lapdog in the case.
However, Calida said their plea had no merit and insisted that the OSG had the authority to act as legal representative of the PNP-CIDG in the preliminary investigation of the case.
“Clearly, respondents’ contention are devoid of merit,” Calida said.
The chief state lawyer asked the DOJ not only to uphold the OSG’s authority to participate in the preliminary investigation but also to “deny the various motions filed by the respondents for lack of merit” and “for the preliminary investigation to continue in accordance with the Rules on Criminal Procedure.”
Aside from Robredo, Tañada, Diokno, Alejano, De Lima and Hontiveros, also included in the inciting to sedition, sedition and cyber libel case are former Senator Antonio Trillanes, former Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Jonnel Sangalang, a member of Trillanes’ Senate staff, Eduardo Acierto, former Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Abdiel Dan Fajardo, lawyers Minerva Ambrosio, Serafin Salvador, Philip Sawali and IBP national president Domingo Egon Cayosa, former Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te, former Otso Diretso candidates Florin Hilbay, Romulo Macalintal, Samira Gutoc, and clergy members, Bishops Teodoro Bacani Jr. and Honesto Ongtico, Arcbishops Pablo Virgilio David and Socrates Villegas and Fathers Robert Reyes, Flaviano Villanueva and Albert Alejo.
Complainant PNP-CIDG accused the respondents of planning to “spread false information against President Rodrigo Duterte and his family under Project Sodoma to agitate the general population into making mass protests with the possibility of bringing down the President from position and allow Vice President Robredo to succeed” by linking the President’s family members and close associates to the illegal drugs trade.
The PNP-CIDG said Project Sodoma was planned as early as August last year also as part of a plan to allegedly discredit candidates of Hugpong ng Pagbabago while at the same time propping up those from opposition Otso Diretso.
The complaint said the respondents planned and funded the creation of the Ang Totoong Narcolist video where Peter Joemel Advincula alias “Bikoy” linked members of the Duterte family in the narcotics trade and its spread via social media.